Hawaiʻi Youth Sustainability Challenge

Hawaiʻi students and teachers are invited to participate in the Hawaiʻi Youth Sustainability Challenge (HYSC), an initiative to inspire all youth to be intentionally engaged around our environment to become leaders and stewards of Hawaiʻi. The HYSC will provide students with the opportunity to apply for mini-grants to plan, design, prototype, and test their own small scale innovative and creative sustainability ideas and projects for their schools and communities. HYSC projects must be student-driven, Hawaiʻi specific, and with the potential to be scaled up for a larger impact project addressing the following:
1) Change you want to see in your school or community to support Hawaiʻi’s goal of achieving a sustainable future
2) Your environmental passions and desire for environmental education
3) Your motivation to make change for your school and community

HYSC applications should be completed and submitted by student lead with the help of a teacher advisor. (Exceptions will be made for younger grade levels).

HYSC Applicants can submit their project ideas in the following ways:

Individually Powered Projects – One (1) student and one (1) teacher advisor working together

Group Powered Projects – Multiple students working together with one (1) student leader and one (1) teacher advisor. More than one teacher may collaborate on a project, but there should be one lead teacher advisor

School Collaboration Powered Projects – Two (2) or more schools are allowed and encouraged to collaborate on projects. There should be one (1) student leader and one (1) teacher advisor. More than one teacher may collaborate on a project, but there should be one lead teacher advisor

* HYSC Mini-Grants are to be used to purchase supplies or services for planning, designing, prototyping, and testing projects which inspire students and the local community to better connect with nature and take care of Hawaiʻi and its natural resources.